My, How You've Changed

David Brooks of the NYT taught me something today in his Op-Ed. "In 1976, in a close election, Gerald Ford won the entire West Coast along with northeastern states like New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine. In 1984, Reagan won every state but Minnesota."

What?!?! Reagan won every state but one? What was going on in Minnesota? Oh right, Mondale was from MN. I have never taken a political science class and know very little about electoral history, but I was amazed to look through the past electoral maps. It's only since Bill Clinton that the electoral map looks as I know it. Northeast and West are blue...everything else is red. But before Clinton, it looks so unfamiliar. So, I had some fun checking out the past of elections. Here's the Reagan map and you can click on maps of the past on the left. Since I'm trying to avoid the current polls, it's interesting to wonder how some of these candidates got every state in the Union behind them. As I scan the earliest elections, it's clear that electoral votes were divided in some way, rather than everything from one state going to only one candidate. I need to learn more about this history. Someday...